College football returning production 2026: Returning starters for every FBS team

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College football's roster cycle has never moved faster. Programs can reshape entire depth charts in a single offseason through the transfer portal. While talent acquisition has become more fluid than ever, continuity still has to be developed the old-fashioned way.

That's where returning starters still matter.

That pattern finally bent last season when Indiana defied all the odds during its historic run to a national championship. Each of the previous eight title winners had returned at least 11 players who made six or more starts the year before, but the Hoosiers finished the job with just eight. National runner-up Miami had a nearly identical profile, also bringing back eight such starters, with both programs surrounding their returning core with experienced transfers.

For this project, returning starters are defined as players who logged at least six starts during the 2025 season, including postseason games. Only offensive and defensive starters are included; special teams players were excluded.

Each of the eight teams with the best FanDuel Sportsbook odds to win next season's national title are set to return at least nine starters from the 2025 campaign. That group is led by Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon, which each bring back 14 starters -- among the highest totals in the country entering the 2026 season. Those three programs are tied for the FBS lead with eight returning defensive starters.

USC leads all FBS teams with 15 returning starters overall, including a national-high nine on offense, as Lincoln Riley looks to translate that continuity into a long-awaited breakthrough in the Big Ten.

At the other end of the spectrum, two FBS programs return zero starters from last season: Iowa State and North Texas. Both saw their coach leave for a new position this offseason.

Here is a complete look at every returning starter in the FBS, listed from most to fewest.

Which teams return the most starters in 2026?